Healthcare Insurance Quotes in Punta Gorda, FL

Wendy North, Agent

941-764-7992

Healthcare Coverage

Do you need Health Care Insurance?

GreatFlorida Insurance is committed to helping Floridians make informed decisions about their health care. Health insurance is designed to protect individuals and families from the high costs of health care.

Whether you are facing a pre-existing health condition, an emergency situation or just want preventative and wellness care, health insurance will pay part of your costs.

GreatFlorida Insurance offers coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, also known as Florida Blue.

We can help clear up any confusion about recent health reform, the Affordable Care Act, (ACA) and answer any of your questions concerning health care.

How does health insurance work?

Your health insurance plan is a contract between you and your insurance company.

You pay a monthly bill called a premium for the health plan and the insurance company agrees to pay part of the costs for covered medical services.

The plans have varying costs and coverage to meet your needs and budget. Another option includes a Catastrophic Plan for single people under 30 who qualify through financial hardships.

GreatFlorida Insurance can help you understand your choice of plans and options for health care through Florida Blue.

We will help you apply for and enroll in a plan that works best for you.

Affordable Care Act

In March 2010, President Obama signed into law, comprehensive health reform, Affordable Care Act, (ACA). The law makes preventative care more accessible and affordable for many Americans.

The health care law is designed to provide better benefits and expanding coverage while creating a stronger Medicare program.

What if I do not get health insurance in 2014?

If you can afford health insurance but choose not to buy it, you will be penalized and must pay a fee. The fee in 2014 is 1 percent of your yearly income or $95 per person for the year, whichever is higher.

The fee increases every year. In 2016 it is 2.5 percent of income or $695 per person, whichever is higher. In 2014 the payment for uninsured children is $47.50 per child.

New Options Include:

Floridians can find out if they are eligible for lower costs for private insurance or health programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, (CHIP) and enroll in health coverage.

Parents can keep their children on their health insurance policy until they turn 26 years old.

Insurers can no longer deny coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions such as asthma or diabetes.

In 2014, health insurers will no longer be able to charge more or deny coverage to anyone with a pre-existing condition.

Health insurance companies now have to spend at least 80 cents of your premium dollar on health care or improvements to care or provide you with a refund.

Insurance companies are required to publicly justify their actions if they want to raise rates by 10 percent or more.

Insurance companies are banned from imposing lifetime dollar limits on health benefits. The law also restricts the use of annual limits and bans them completely in 2014.

Preventative services such as colonoscopy screening for colon cancer, Pap smears and mammograms for women, well-child visits and flu shots for all children and adults, will be covered with no deductible or co-pay required.

Increases funding to community health centers

Strengthens Medicare Program

Increasing coverage for brand name and generic drugs

No deductibles or co-pays for preventative services seniors and people with disabilities

Memorial Day this year is Monday, May 27. It’s time to fire up the grill and hang your American flag. Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May. It honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

“Take a moment to give thanks and remember those who died in service to our country,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s top independent auto insurance agency.

At 3 p.m., people are encouraged to stop for a moment of silence on Memorial Day.

What is opened and what is closed?

Most government offices and some private businesses are closed for Memorial Day. Banks, the U.S. Postal Service, the stock market and schools are closed or not in service. Most UPS and FedEx services are also unavailable that day. Trash pick-up varies, check your local provider. The DMV is closed, and courts are not in session.

Most stores are open on Memorial Day, however, Costco is closed. Good Housekeeping has complied a comprehensive list of retail and grocery stores, along with restaurants and fast food chains that are open.

Travel

Memorial Day also marks the unofficial start of summer and summer travel. AAA predicts this holiday weekend will see the most road-trippers on record with over 37.6 million hitting the road.

“Patience will be required with all the additional drivers on the road,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s top independent auto insurance agency.

INRIX, a global transportation analytics company in collaboration with AAA, predicts drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion on Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24 in the late afternoon as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. According to AAA, Orlando and Tampa are among the top 10 destinations for travelers to visit this Memorial Day weekend.

This year’s legislative session has come to an end. According to the Tampa Bay Times, lawmakers passed 195 bills of the 1,861 bills filed. Some bills were successful and for most of the others- there is always next year. Below are some highlights.

Winners:

Property Insurance Reform-Property insurance reform, commonly known as assignment of benefits (AOB). It will primarily limit attorney’s fees in disputes over assignment of benefits between insurance companies and contractors and authorizes policies that aren’t subject to assignment of benefits.

“After a long battle against insurance abuse, there is a victory,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s leading independent auto insurance agency.

Transfer certain pre-lawsuit duties under the insurance contract to the assignee and shift the burden to the assignee to prove that any failure to carry out such duties has not limited the insurer’s ability to perform under the contract

Require each insurer to report specified data on claims paid in the prior year under assignment agreements by January 30, 2022, and each year thereafter

Allow an insurer to make available a policy prohibiting assignment, in whole or in part, under certain conditions

Revise the state’s one-way attorney fee statute to incorporate an attorney fee structure in determining the fee amount awarded in suits by an assignee against an insurer

Require service providers to give an insurer and the consumer prior written notice of at least 10 business days before filing suit on a claim.

Texting- Texting while driving will now be considered a primary offense, meaning law enforcement can stop a motorist for just that offense. It is also illegal to use or hold your cell phone while driving through a school zone or construction zone.

Ride Share-Ride share services such as Uber and Lyft can provide non-emergency trips to the hospital for Medicaid patients.

Losers:

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)- A repeal to eliminate Florida’s no-fault auto insurance system, where drivers are required to carry personal injury protection coverage to help pay medical bills after accidents. “Each year an attempt is made to eradicate the old no-fault system and move to a bodily-injury coverage requirement, but it cannot get enough support from lawmakers, says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s largest independent auto insurance agency.

Would you let your kid ride with a stranger? USA Today recently featured an article asking, “Parents, would you let your kid ride an Uber or Lyft by themselves?” Kids getting rides through ridesharing companies is a growing trend.

“Parents have an emergency arise or they cannot get away from work, so they turn to rideshare companies such as Uber or Lyft to help them transport their kids,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s top independent rideshare insurance agency.

While some parents feel this is a helpful transportation alternative, other parents feel it is too big of a safety risk for their children. The trend also goes against company policies. Uber and Lyft require riders to be 18 or older to ride unless accompanied by an adult.

“While not as popular or widely available, rideshare services are available to transport kids in certain areas of Florida,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s largest independent rideshare insurance agency.

Below is a list of rideshare services specifically designed to transport children.

Care.com– they offer transportation services at an average rate of $12 per hour. Safety and screening are left up to the person hiring. They are available throughout the state.

Moms Helping Moms– this service is currently only available in Parkland and Coral Springs. They offer door to door service and provide transportation for ages 4-17. Drivers are required to complete a variety of courses and certifications to ensure child safety.

Bubbl– is expanding in to the Emerald Coast area with service between Pensacola to Panama City. They hire active or retired military, police officers, firefighters, nurses and first responders. Their vetting process includes in-person interviews, criminal background checks, drug tests and a motor vehicle review. The minimum rider age is 8. Rides can be booked by phone or app.

Whether you drive full-time for a rideshare company such as Uber or Lyft, or it is the source of additional income, make sure you are covered. If you are looking for rideshare insurance, contact GreatFlorida Insurance today.

Millions of households across the U.S. own a dog. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) reminds us, any dog can bite, if provoked. Half of all dog bites involve a dog owned by the victim’s family or neighbor.

Approximately, 4 million Americans are bitten by dogs each year, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). They also report, about 800,000 require medical attention. Children are usually the victims, 44 percent are under 14 years-old.

“In Florida, if your dog bites someone even if it is a first-time occurrence, the owner is held liable,” reports Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s top independent homeowners insurance agency. Florida is a “strict liability” state regarding dog bites. This means a dog owner is liable for any damage to a person, even a non-bite injury.

A report by the Insurance Information Institute (III), reveals, Florida had 1,281 dog bites or other dog related injury claims last year, second only to California. Over $56 million was paid out in Florida with the average cost per claim being $43,893.

The report also notes a trend in higher costs per claim being attributable not only to dog bites but also to dogs knocking down children, cyclists, the elderly, etc., which can result in injuries that impact the potential severity of the losses.

Dog bites and other dog related injuries accounted for nearly a third of the money paid out in 2018 for homeowner liability claims, totaling $675 million nationally.

Avoids health problems associated with taking the wrong medicine, or medicine that is too old and no longer effective.

Keeps medicines from entering streams and rivers.

In homes that use septic tanks, prescription and OTC drugs flushed can leach into the groundwater. In areas with wastewater treatment plants, prescription and OTC drugs poured down the sink or flushed can pass through the treatment system and enter rivers and lakes. They may flow downstream to serve as sources for community drinking water supplies. Water treatment plants are generally not equipped to routinely remove medicines.

However, the Food and Drug Administration still recommends flushing Oxycodone, Fentanyl, and a couple of dozen other drugs, so they cannot be fished out of the trash.

Recently in Pasco County, some inmates helped rescue a baby locked inside a vehicle. The parents of the child accidentally locked her in the car, leaving their keys on the front seat. A Pasco County Sheriff’s Office Inmate supervisor and five low-risk offenders repairing a parking lot meridian nearby offered to help. With a coat hanger and a special, “skill set” the inmates were able to open the door and retrieve the child.

“Thankfully the parents realized immediately the baby was in the car,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s leading independent car insurance agency.

While it seems unfathomable, people leave their children behind in the car several times a year. In 2018, over 50 children died in hot cars according to safety advocacy website, Kidsandcars.org.

The website highlights University of South Florida Psychology Professor, David Diamond’s work on why people forget and leave a child behind in a car. He explains it has to do with the complex functions of the brain. He states that the problem is the failure of prospective memory, the process by which the brain remembers to do something in the future. Professor Diamond says, “The brain memory systems that fail when people forget children in cars are the same as those systems that cause us to forget to shut off the headlights when we arrive at a destination.”

Several brain processes are involved with leaving a child in the car. Many factors can disrupt these processes such as stress, interruptions, multitasking, and sleep deprivation. Also, Professor Diamond points out, the lack of visual or verbal reminders increase the chance of a child being left in the car.

According to the FDA, “Drug expiration dates reflect the time period during which the product is known to remain stable, which means it retains its strength, quality, and purity when it is stored according to its labeled storage conditions.”

However, the FDA conducted a study finding 90% of more than 100 drugs, prescription and OTC were good to use even 15 years after the expiration date. While taking medication past the expiration date, cannot guarantee full potency, most of the effectiveness is retained.

Proper storage can help medication can retain its strength. Placing drugs in a cool, dry environment such as the refrigerator, will extend its shelf life. If left in a hot environment, such as your car, some drugs degrade rapidly.

Consensus among doctors is, expiration dates are very conservative to make sure you get your money’s worth. But, don’t be in a hurry to ditch your expired medication, save yourself some money. Tablet medication such as ibuprofen (Advil) can remain effective for years after being opened.

“While most meds are fine to use after their expiration date, that doesn’t mean they all are,” says Ellsworth Buck, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s leading independent health insurance agency.

The safety of expired meds should be considered. The FDA says of expired medication, “It also may yield toxic compounds, causing consumers to experience unintended side effects.”

Liquid medications deteriorate faster. According to Harvard Medical School you should avoid using the following medications after their expiration date.

Tetracycline (this antibiotic loses its effectiveness after expiration, though scientists are still researching this)

Nitroglycerin (taken as heart medication)

Insulin

Liquid antibiotics

GreatFlorida Insurance is committed to helping Floridians stay healthy. Our experienced agents can offer you and your family quality health insurance policies to fit your needs while staying within your budget. Call us at 888-478-7801 or go online to www.greatflorida.com for a free quote today.